32279: Jaitley reaffirms US-India commitment - The Hindu

As the competition for BJP leadership heats up, Jaitley will enjoy the advantages of a telegenic personality and strong ties to the New Delhi establishment.

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1. (C) Summary: BJP spokesman and former Commerce Minister Arun Jaitley warned us recently that the Modi controversy continues to fester among the party rank and file, who see the Chief Minister's visa revocation as a personal attack on a leader of the party that began the transformation of US-India relations. One of several aspirants to direct the next generation of BJP leadership, Jaitley was otherwise upbeat on the US-India relationship, and quietly confident that the party would eventually find its feet. End Summary. 2. (C) In an May 6 meeting with the Charge and PolCouns, a relaxed and self-assured Arun Jaitley predicted that current BJP President LK Advani would lead for another two to three years, after which one of five next generation leaders (Jaitley among them) would take the reins. Dismissing the speculation about Advani's successor as being no more relevant than predictions about Gordon Brown's accession to power in the UK, Jaitley argued that the BJP remained a force to contend with in Indian politics, notwithstanding the party's current public squabbling. Pressed on the question of Hindutva, Jaitley argued that Hindu nationalism ""will always be a talking point"" for the BJP. However, he characterized this as an opportunistic issue. In India's northeast, for instance, Hindutva plays well because of public anxiety about illegal migration of Muslims from Bangladesh. With the recent improvement of Indo-Pak relations, he added, Hindu nationalism is now less resonant in New Delhi, but that could change with another cross-border terrorist attack, for instance on the Indian Parliament.

32279: Jaitley reaffirms US-India commitment - The Hindu